Morrissey's songs have always been an acquired taste, more so now with his penchant for dismal, downright Dickensian drones. The insistent, yeomanly guitar work of Alain Whyte and Boz Boorer, teamed with Spencer James Cobrin's drumming, keeps much of the material afloat--at least when their front man takes a break from the self-flagellation. Fortunately, the bounciness of his former band, The Smiths, is spirited in "Boy Racer," "Reader Meet Author" and "Do Your Best and Don't Worry."